Bewitched

Bewitched ( original title Bewitched ) is an American television series. The series was transmitted by the ABC in the years 1964 to 1972.

Action

The plot revolves around the family life of the witch Samantha Stephens and her not magically talented husband Darrin. Samantha's mother Endora ( played by Agnes Moorehead, who won an Emmy for her role ), disapproves of the marriage to Darrin, whose name they pronounce repeatedly misspelled as " Durwood ", " Darwin " and the like. Darrin itself is the typical auftstrebende Americans, he works in an advertising agency. His boss, Larry Tate, is a slick, elderly and opportunistic businessman who immediately leaves Darrin in the lurch when it comes to money and jobs. In crisis situations, he never reveals Darrin 's back. However, the role is created sympathetic, Larry has humor.

Darrin and Samantha's neighbors belong to the funniest inventory of the series - Gladys and Abner Kravitz are an older Jewish couple - she a gossip who like the Stephens spying, he was a resigned, annoyed retiree who wants to have his peace and his wife holds for slightly crazy. A running gag is that Gladys will notice a lot of the magic Sams, but her husband can never convince them of these supernatural phenomena.

Other important characters are lovable witch Samantha's Aunt Clara, who is terribly senile and always does everything wrong, and Sam's pesky witches Uncle Arthur, a friend of corny jokes and bad spell - jokes. From Season 2, the daughter of Stephen emerges, Tabatha, but which is not present in all sequences. It comes after the mother and can also witches. A son, Adam, was born in Season 6, which proposes a non- magician by Darrin.

In the sixth season, the tangled magical maid came Esmeralda (played by Alice Ghostley ) to which, just like Aunt Clara, has problems with his magic. The role was introduced because of Marion Lorne's death in 1968. With this, the gap of the forgetful witch was closed.

Apart is a dual role of Elizabeth Montgomery, the role of the eternal harmony tried to blonde was a bit tired after some time and therefore the figure of the infamous black-haired cousin Serena introduced (from season 2). Their relationship with Darrin is ambivalent and varies between disgust and fascination. ( In one of the most audacious sequences, V / 5, substitution, Darrin tries to sleep with her. ) Elizabeth Montgomery chose for this role, the eloquent pseudonym Pandora Spocks.

The main sites are the House of Stephens, address: 1164 Morning Glory Circle, and Darrin's office; seldom you see the family on trips or in different time levels.

At the end of the confusing turmoil of a series usually is the reconciliation of the couple with a kiss, in the spirit of the classic comedy, but sometimes played with this expectation and developed a surprising conclusion.

Importance

Unlike other " fantasy sitcoms " such as I Dream of Jeannie Bewitched has its roots more in traditional couple - screwball comedy tradition that have shaped the cinema Ernst Lubitsch, George Cukor or Howard Hawks. The magic of the desperate wife Samantha becomes the corrective attempt to pick up the absurdity of the ordinary everyday life - a reversal of the principle comedy so. The family, work and neighborhood relationships of the protagonists are not straightforward, despite good presentation and from season to season and more complex: children are added, housemaids, aunts and uncles. As the biography of Stephens developed to some extent and thus no stagnant types have been created, the sitcom with all sense of tradition and a milestone in the history of television shows - not only new forms of series and sitcom were tried, but also for the first time broken taboos. For the first time a couple sleeps on the screen together in a bed, and for the first time, the Separated - life of a couple benevolent demonstrated ( Samantha's parents).

Since Samantha Witch and thus a non- Konformistin is Darrin very ambivalent kind - stuffy, the series could venture many insults that otherwise would not have been possible - the series looks even today not dusty because Darrin's smugness now acts like a caricature, while Samantha as late unorthodox, very smart screwball queen appears, a sister of Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert. However, Darrin's role changed over the years; in the later seasons his narrow-mindedness has been deliberately grossly exaggerated what the series is not always good for, because now is not more plausible why Sam loves him.

Generally it can be after the spirit of the first three seasons in the 4th and 5th something if some of the funniest and most absurd sequences are found at all in these two latter. With the replacement of Darrin cast in Season 6-8 and new increased staffing of the decline of the series, which now begins to repeat itself, and sometimes seems rather mannered begins. For a long time the last great heiress of the classic screwball comedy, Bewitched did not fit so right now for anarchischeren zeitgeist of the 70s.

Nevertheless, minimizing the consequences of a total of 1-168 a high level. Often the word joke unfolds - a paradox for an action-packed magic sitcom - especially in the rigid, action- poor moments, to dinner parties, after work dinner or at the breakfast table, where you can feel the clear influence boulevard comedy in the style of Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward. ( In episode V/28 Samantha opened in allusion to the bonds at the salon comedy a quarrel scene with the words: "It's Noel Coward - Time!" In the synchronization of the sentence is missing. . )

Synchronization

There were three phases of synchronization that have to do with the different phases broadcast on German television. ( 70s, 80s and 90s ). 47 (! ) Follow the first two seasons have never been synchronized. It was limited to 25 episodes. For broadcast on ARD regional program a total of 86 episodes were (26 in color to b / w, 60) synchronized; 119 more episodes left the Kirch group synchronize only in the late 80s. 25 produced in black and white episodes from the first two seasons have not been shown on German television since 1968, not even on pay- TV. The German synchronization waived the fine allusions, and the complexity of the screwball comedy, because the broadcast of Love was directed into a witch in Germany, especially to children. In addition, the original soundtrack was replaced in the later episodes often synchronized with a new accompaniment by Fred Strittmatter and Quirin Amper Jr., which had already been used for the German version of the " Enchanting Jeannie ". The laughs were, as it was then common practice, eliminated altogether. The fact that the German synchronization differs from the original in many details, can already be on the bulky transmission of dynamic original title Bewitched ( Bewitched, enchanted ) read. The later German version even changed the structure of the sequences, which are usually So opened by an action opener, a preparatory scene and then culminate in the title cartoon. Then begins the actual result. In the German versions of the sequence usually begins with the same cartoon.

Meanwhile, (March 2010) are the seasons 1-8 released on DVD, so that you can see the originals ( with subtitles ) in the German -speaking world.

Movie

In 2005, based on the series, the feature film turned into a witch in love with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell.

Stagger

The series was produced (252 episodes) in eight seasons. One consequence has the usual sitcom - length of about 23-24 minutes. All episodes are together for 100 hours. We can separate the successful sitcom in three phases:

A - Black and White Season

  • Season 1: 36 episodes. September 17, 1964 - June 3, 1965
  • Season 2: 36 episodes 2 reps from Season 1 with new opener. September 16, 1965 - June 9, 1966

B - color with Dick York as Darrin

  • Season 3: 33 episodes. September 19, 1966 - May 4, 1967
  • Season 4: 33 episodes. September 7, 1967 - May 16, 1968
  • Season 5: 30 Episodes. September 26, 1968 - April 24, 1969

C - Color, with Dick Sargent as Darrin

  • Season 6: 30 Episodes. September 18, 1969 - April 15, 1970
  • Season 7: 28 Episodes. September 24, 1970 - April 22, 1971
  • Season 8: 26 Episodes. September 15, 1971 - March 25, 1972
Bewitched (2005 film) Warren Barker Kasey Rogers Emmy Award
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